I have a badly cracked heel, and no clue how to fix it. It's quite deep and long and can be painful.

Both feet, especially the heels, have pretty thick yucky dry skin, and that's where the crack is. I've got skin softening creams and stuff, but they can't really remove/heal dead skin and so I'm at a loss as to what to do. I don't want to use a file or anything near it, it seems like that would make it worse.

For now all I'm doing is applying lansinoh and trying to remember to at least wear socks (I think it all started because I almost always have bare feet). Any other ideas would be much appreciated!